Computer technicians, I need your input.

I

Incesticide

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Oct 26, 2005
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Hello, my name is Augusto Castrillon, and I'm a senior at the Science
Academy of South Texas. I am currently doing a research project on hardware. I'm trying to make computer hardware less intimidating for the average home PC user to install.

I need to find existing solutions to my problem. Parts that make
upgrading computers easier, for example, would be existing solutions.
I can only think of computer cases being made more intuitive and
modular power supplies, but other than that I really can't think of
anything else that really has made computer upgrading/building for the
home user easier.

Aside from finding all these existing solutions, I need to find pros
and cons for each solution, and each pro and con must be backed up by
a professional's opinion.

I know this may be asking too much, and you've been very helpful as it
is, but if you can help me find existing solutions, and pros and cons
of each, I'd be forever in your debt.

Also, if you can post your credentials, and I would be very grateful if you did, I can use this information as justification for my project, and prove you guys are credible sources.
 
Other things that have made upgrades easy are:

Plug and Play. Adding hardware used to be a lot more involved before PnP was brought about.

Simple things such as notches/keys on the IDE cables or on the dimms. Now that all IDE cables are keyed so that there's a little tab on one side it's impossible to plug it into the header backwards. DIMMs are keyed so that a memory stick won't go in backwards. Even AGP cards are keyed differently depending on whether they're a 1.8v or 3.3v card.

Another feature I like is the coloring of the ports on the back of the computer. If my mom (1000 miles away) calls and says she unplugged the keyboard by accident, it's really easy for me to tell her to just plug it into the hole with the purple ring.
 
I wouldn't call myself a professional but i did graduate from the chubb institute computer network & security course (12 months)

Basically i look at it like this...

Certain things only fit in certain slots...you can't plug in a molex power connector in the wrong spot or upside down, it just doesn't fit anywhere else.

its like putting square pegs in round holes, it just doesn't happen

you can't put a PCI card in an AGP slot, things just don't fit

computer hardware is mostly just plugging things in, for the average user, and as long as you read the instructions, don't be scared to get your hands dirty, as they say.

i'm sure other people can post better views, but thats just mine.
 
MovieMan80 said:
Other things that have made upgrades easy are:

Plug and Play. Adding hardware used to be a lot more involved before PnP was brought about.

Simple things such as notches/keys on the IDE cables or on the dimms. Now that all IDE cables are keyed so that there's a little tab on one side it's impossible to plug it into the header backwards. DIMMs are keyed so that a memory stick won't go in backwards. Even AGP cards are keyed differently depending on whether they're a 1.8v or 3.3v card.

Another feature I like is the coloring of the ports on the back of the computer. If my mom (1000 miles away) calls and says she unplugged the keyboard by accident, it's really easy for me to tell her to just plug it into the hole with the purple ring.
Click to expand...

Do you see any pros and cons (ie: how keyed DIMMs can actually be even more confusing to a computer user) to any of these improvements?

Also, if you can post your name and your profession (my teacher needs this information for credentials, or else I don't credit for this.), I'd really appreciate it.
 
you know what would make things easier? USB everything! have your mobo and cpu in a little box with tons of usb ports, and then just plug in every other part externally! not only would it be easier, you would also have a lot of freedom with where you put all the parts, so your computer could be positioned all over your desk and stuff.

...I honestly don't know how serious I am about this...
 
A great con of the agp notched tabs is a good thing to bring, especially if you're trying to upgrade older hardware that doesn't the newer voltages of agp. The board just won't fit in some older boards. I've seen it several times now with first and 2nd gen boards. Makes it hard to find parts that will fit an older system. Also, it's a pain for the non-computer inclined person installing it because they probably won't know what to look for, only that they know it's an agp slot, not weather it's a different voltage that what's being sold.
 
The main problem lies with the number of choices available to the user.

I.E.

Pentium or AMD?
AMD. Ok. What type of AMD? Athlon XP or Athlon 64?
Athlon 64? Ok, which socket type?
etc.

Hard drives.
IDE or SATA?
SATA 1 or SATA II?

Video card
AGP or PCI-E?

RAM
DDR or DDR 2?

There isn't much of a problem as long as they decide ahead of time what features they want. If they decide they want a socket 939 Athlon 64, SATA II HDD support, and DDR PC3200 RAM, and a Geforce 7800GT PCI-E they can pick a mobo that will support all that. For the average joe that's quite a lot of research.

Now, if the average Joe wants to upgrade a PC, they have to figure out what parts their mobo supports so they can purchase the correct upgrades.

Until everything is standard it's not ever going to be 100% idiot proof. And since the PC industry is always improving upon itself, and introducing and phasing out hardware, it will be a very long time (if ever) before it's fool proof.

My 2¢
 
I don't think the problem is consumer choice so much as it is market penetration. I mean, I'm a total PC guy but is there really any doubt that if you want an idiot-proof computer you should just buy a mac? Most computer manufacturers make garbage machines (I can't think of a single brand I would buy, maybe IBM) designed to sell large quantities. But because windows is so ubiquitous everybody buys PC's. I don't mean to start an MS trash session or anything but I do believe they act illegally and that most people who are frustrated with PC's could find what they are looking for by going Mac. The ideal situation would be one where people who don't want to play games or delve into hardware see mac as a viable option while the rest of us can stay with our x86's. Consumer choice is never a bad thing, even if there's a lot of it, because once the consumer is educated the crap gets weeded out, which promotes competition.
 
Everyone has got to study a little about everything. The average preppy girl isnt gonna be able to change oil in a car, untill they find out the side tool they need to take out the plug in the pan. Well same for PC's if your dumbfounded upon something, do a lil studing. Hell when you buy something such as a CPU, and the descripsion says! ; 939 pin and a mobo that says! ; 754 pin.....Come on....you mix that up, you do not need to be building a PC. So study, were gonna have to study for the rest of our lives. I got certified a couple years ago, and then i stoped keeping up with the new technology....big big mistake...thought i was good to go...negitive...now im studing back up, and realize...theres prolly going to be no stopping that.

Kyle
 
kjm2003 said:
Everyone has got to study a little about everything. The average preppy girl isnt gonna be able to change oil in a car, untill they find out the side tool they need to take out the plug in the pan. Well same for PC's if your dumbfounded upon something, do a lil studing. Hell when you buy something such as a CPU, and the descripsion says! ; 939 pin and a mobo that says! ; 754 pin.....Come on....you mix that up, you do not need to be building a PC. So study, were gonna have to study for the rest of our lives. I got certified a couple years ago, and then i stoped keeping up with the new technology....big big mistake...thought i was good to go...negitive...now im studing back up, and realize...theres prolly going to be no stopping that.

Kyle
Click to expand...


Right. For the average person to just all of a sudden go "I'm gonna upgrade my video card today." it's almost impossible for them to do it themselves without any work. They have to figure out what's out there, what all the terms mean, the difference between brands/flavors of cards, etc. If you don't keep up you're gonna get lost quick and you're gonna have to do a lot of back tracking.

For us geeks it's fun, but for Bob who just wants to get Big Game Hunter XXV running, it can be a big headache.
 
Incesticide said:
Do you see any pros and cons (ie: how keyed DIMMs can actually be even more confusing to a computer user) to any of these improvements?

Also, if you can post your name and your profession (my teacher needs this information for credentials, or else I don't credit for this.), I'd really appreciate it.
Click to expand...

The original notched memory sticks had small notches on one end of the stick. The little tab preventing the dimm to fit in was often hard to see due to the connector being in the way. Newer memory sticks have moved the notches away from the edge so that you can clearly see where the notch is supposed to line up.

A con with usb would be if the OS doesn't recognize the device and special drivers need to be loaded. WinXP is pretty good with regards to usb devices but there's still some that may require drivers. A lot of people unfamiliar with configuring devices and loading drivers may be confused as to why their new usb gadget doesn't work like all their other usb toys.

Credentials:
2 years as a desktop support tech
8 month hardware engineering co-op
BS Computer Engineering specializing in Embedded Systems
Currently working on MS in Computer Engineering with emphasis on VLSI design and a little communications backgroun
Current job title is Systems/Software Engineer
 
Frankly I think building PC's is very simple, and the difficulty that is associated with it is left over from the days when it was very difficult to configure them. Anyone, with a little research, should have virtually no difficulty obtaining the parts, building, and configuring. Its just that easy these days.
 
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